There are prior art apparatus that facilitate the changing of a pillow or pillowcase, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,673,446 (Moen et al.), and 6,839,923 and 7,007,324 (Blessman), and U.S. Pat. Appln. Publ. No. 2009.0144901 (Zorger).
Moen et al. discloses a pair of flexible poles connected at one end by a resilient rubber strip. At the other end of the poles, a spring-loaded retaining ball captures the pillow between the two poles. A ball-shaped handle is connected to an internal cable and when the ball is pulled, it releases the spring-loaded retaining ball allowing the device to come out while the pillow stays in the pillowcase.
Blessman discloses a flexible thin sheet of material that is sized and configured so as to attain a generally U-shaped configuration for insertion into a pillowcase, thereby creating a three-dimensional cavity through which a pillow can be inserted. The device can then be easily extracted from the pillowcase by merely sliding it out once the pillow is in place.
Zorger discloses a flexible apparatus that lays flat in a neutral condition. After the pillow is placed onto the apparatus, the apparatus is wrapped around the pillow to compress the pillow, and edges of the apparatus are engaged with one another to maintain the pillow in a compressed condition. The apparatus and compressed pillow are slid into a pillowcase, or the pillowcase is slid over the apparatus and compressed pillow, and the apparatus is then slid outwardly from the pillowcase, allowing the pillow to expand and fill the pillowcase.
Other prior art discloses apparatus that hold an enclosure in an open condition to enable insertion of objects therein, but not pillows into pillowcases. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,512 (Munn, II) discloses a substantially rectangular panel that may be removably inserted into a nonrigid container, which container is comprised of at least one container wall defining a container opening. The panel is formed from a material such as polyvinyl chloride foam board or high impact polystyrene, and defines a centered aperture through each of its width-defining edge portions and a pair of spaced-apart apertures through each of its length-defining edge portions. The panel is alleged to be able to be repeatedly bent and inserted into a nonrigid container so that, upon release, the container may be retained in an upright and open position for easy access, all without breaking or cracking and without damaging the container either during retention of the container or during its removal therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,841 (LaPoint et al.) discloses an insert apparatus that is used to insert items into pouches and comprises a bending region designed to bend along a length of the apparatus; a non-bending region coupled to the bending region, having a gripping space positioned along a length thereof; a first and second insert foot located on either side of the gripping space; and a transition zone, located between the bending and non-bending regions, where the bend in the bending region gradually flattens out to the non-bending region.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,407,139 (Dolan) discloses a trash bag support apparatus that includes a flexible and unitary body selectively adaptable between linear and arcuate positions for removably inserting into a trash bag and engaging with an inner surface thereof. The body has opposed end portions and a top portion integral therewith. Elongated leg portions having lower edge portions are integrally disposed with the top portion and extend downwardly therefrom for defining a plurality of channels therebetween. The edge portions define a uniform line of weakness below which the trash bag is unsupported by the apparatus.
Some of these apparatus have a relatively complicated structure while others are not very easy to use. It is therefore desirable to provide an apparatus that is simple to construct and can be easily used to change a pillow or pillowcase.